SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento District 5 Councilmember Caity Maple posted a thread to Twitter Wednesday explaining her decision to join councilmembers who voted 7-2 to approve the police department's purchase of a third armored vehicle.
Dozens of comments were left on Maple's social media pages criticizing her recent vote — with many people pointing to a series of tweets posted to her personal account April 21, 2021.
"It's time to demilitarize Sacramento's police force," she wrote almost two years before becoming a councilmember.
She also wrote in 2021 the City Council approved a $404,000 armored vehicle purchase in 2020 "despite outrage from citizens."
Regarding her vote Tuesday night, Maple said she could have done "better" outreach to her community before the vote — and for that she apologizes.
"I voted in support of this item after reviewing all of the information provided and did so because I believed [The Rook] will help both the community and law enforcement stay safe," she said Wednesday. "I also acknowledge and understand that some residents do not agree and feel hurt by this decision — particularly in Black and Brown communities that have been historically overpoliced. It was my responsibility to do proactive outreach and I failed."
Her office will be organizing a town hall in District 5 in the coming days to gather more input from community members.
"I don't support the purchase or use of any offensive military equipment by the police force and made the decision to support this piece of equipment due to its ability to act as a shield to protect individuals with the commitment that it is used only during very specific incidents involving gunfire," she said.
Maple added she will work with the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission to ensure armored vehicle use policy at the police department addresses the community's concerns.
But members of the police review commission say Councilmembers have historically been mostly uninterested in working with the commission on law enforcement policy.
Commission Vice Chair Keyan Bliss told ABC10 Tuesday before the vote he hopes both councilmembers and police officials become more receptive to the commission's recommendations — especially when it comes to military equipment use policy.
"Our commission as a whole are still actually waiting for the Sacramento Police Department to provide an update on where the military equipment use policy [progress] is at following its passage back on September 13, 2022," said Bliss, Tuesday. "We will still continue to ask for that, and hopefully we'll be getting some more answers and updates from the department during one of our next public meetings."
Click here to read Councilmember Caity Maple's full Twitter thread.
